


Sweet Child of Mine

by orphan_account



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alcohol, Drug Use, Fix-It, Human Pennywise (IT), M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Sexism, Post-Pennywise (IT), Recreational Drug Use, Reddie, Sonia Kaspbrak's A+ Parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 15:15:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23200276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: He’s got a smile it seems to meReminds me of childhood memoriesWhere everythingWas as fresh as the bright blue skyNow and then when I see his faceHe takes me away to that special placeAnd if I'd stare too longI'd probably break down and cry
Relationships: Bill Denbrough/Mike Hanlon/Ben Hanscom/Eddie Kaspbrak/Beverly Marsh/Richie Tozier/Stanley Uris, Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Reddie - Relationship, The Losers Club/The Losers Club (IT)
Kudos: 10





	Sweet Child of Mine

Eddie Kaspbrak is sitting on the examination table at his doctor’s office. He’s eleven, and his mother is sitting right next to him. They are at the “good doctor” in Bangor. He feels fine, but he knows that sometimes being sick can feel fine but it really isn’t. He runs cold, his ninety-eight degree temperature _is_ actually a fever. Surely he must have a _little_ headache, right? It’s those migraines, it must be. The doctor will give him a nerve numbing agent and he will feel right as rain, his mom assures him. He trusts her; she’s his mother. That night, he does not see the new medication in his cup of nightly pills, but he must have not seen it right before his mother tipped it to his mouth. He doesn’t mention it and he feels no different. 

Eddie Kaspbrak is sitting on the couch at his psychiatrist’s office. He’s sixteen, and his mother is sitting right next to him. They are at the “good psychiatrist” in Augusta. He feels fine, but he knows that sometimes being sick can feel fine but it really isn’t. Surely he must have a _little_ problem paying attention in class, right? It’s ADD, it must be. The doctor will give him Adderall and he will feel right as rain, his mom assures him. He trusts her; she’s his mother. That night, he does not see the new medication in his cup of nightly pills, but he must have not seen it right before his mother tipped it to his mouth. He doesn’t mention it and he feels no different. 

Eddie Kaspbrak is sitting in the chair at his doctor’s office. He’s eighteen, and so his mother is in the waiting room.  
“So, we’ll just do refills on every-?”  
“I don’t want my mother to have access to my records.”  
The doctor looked up from his clipboard.  
“What?”  
“I don’t want her to have access to my records. I don’t want you or anyone else to talk to her about my medication or my conditions,” Eddie continues breathlessly. He felt lightheaded. “I don’t want her to be able to pick up my prescriptions and I don’t want her to make appointments for me. Also, I don’t want any of that medicine you’ve been giving me. I only need my inhaler. Oh, and I don’t want you to call her if I get hurt.”  
The doctor was quiet for a moment before he shrugged and handed Eddie a slip of paper.  
“Okay. You have to a pick a new emergency contact, then.”  
Eddie exhaled. He half thought the doctor was going to call his mother in and tell on him. Or was going to yell at him. Something, other than just letting him do it. The freedom of it made Eddie’s chest tighten, and he reached for his inhaler. He was scared of the consequences of what he was doing. But he was ready.  
When he was breathing normally again, Eddie quickly scribbled down Richie Tozier’s contact information. 

Eddie waited until they got to the pharmacy back in Derry to tell his mother. He was worried if he told her in Bangor she would scream and he would lose his nerve and she would make him tell the doctor he changed his mind. And she did scream, parked in the in the lot of Center Street Drug Store. She screamed when he told her initially and cried when he told her he knew she had been taking his medication. She begged him to keep getting it, she needed it, please, didn’t she love him? Eddie’s heart crumpled in his chest. Was it really affecting him anyway? He could keep going to the doctor, keep giving her his medication, so what? Yeah it was a felony, technically. But no one would ever find out. Really, Eddie, it’s not such a big deal. How could you not do this? For your own _mother?_ Do you have any idea how much I’ve done for you? How dare-!  
Eddie wasn’t sure how much of his thoughts were his own and how much were his mother’s words, but they screeched to a halt when someone knocked loudly on the glass where Eddie had leaned his head. 

Richie Tozier, with his big, dumb smile, was standing there. His dad’s old pickup truck was parked behind him, and he had a bag from the pharmacy in his hand. He waved, oblivious.  
Eddie suddenly felt all his courage flood back into him at the sight of his beautiful, dopey face. Sonia opened the window just barely to scream at him.  
“You leave us alone, Richard! I know you put Eddie up to this! How dare you interfere with my relationship with my son?”  
It wasn’t the first time Sonia’s paranoia would land wrongly on Richie’s shoulders. Well, it wasn’t always wrong. But usually it was.  
Richie’s eyes got wide for a second when he heard that. But when he looked to Eddie, he got angry.  
Eddie watched Richie’s brow furrow and his hand go to his hip, like a soccer mom in the grocery store. Eddie touched his face and realized he had been crying, and understood what was about to happen. He couldn’t risk his mother turning her anger on Richie. She wouldn’t call the cops on her son, but she would call them on Richie. Had called them on Richie, for no reason. Richie sucked in a breath to yell back at Sonia, so before he could think of a better idea, Eddie opened his door hard. It hit Richie in the face, and he stumbled back. Eddie got out quickly as his mom continued to scream.  
“Don’t you _dare_ get out of this car young man! We are not done-!”  
Eddie snapped the car door shut behind him and went to Richie. He was holding his nose but he seemed okay.  
“Jesus Eds, what did I do to deserve that?”  
“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry!” He exclaimed, touching Richie’s face delicately. “It’s bleeding.”  
But Richie smiled down at him all the same. Eddie felt the anger and fear melt away under his gaze. Somewhere behind him he heard his mother getting out of the car.  
“Do _not_ leave with him Eddie, he is a terrible influence! Don’t listen to what he says you should trust your mommy always I would never hurt you!”  
Richie didn’t look away from Eddie.  
“I wanna take you away from all this,” he exclaimed in his husky, leading man voice.  
For a brief moment, Eddie had an image of Richie outside his house in this truck. It was loaded up with all their things, and Richie was beeping the horn. Eddie was racing out of the house with Sonia on his heels, but he wasn’t scared. His arms were full of the last of his things, and he was jumping over the threshold of his life towards something new, something beautiful. The windows were down and Richie was laughing over loud, happy music. Eddie would launch himself into the passenger seat, and Richie would grab his hand.  
_Want me to take you away from all this, Eds?_ he would ask, his curls messy in his face. He would have a button down shirt on, with the top few buttons undone, and would be wearing cologne. And instead of answering, Eddie would kiss him hard, before Richie drove them out of Derry for the last time. 

Actual ugly-Hawaiian-shirt and cigarette-smoke-smelling Richie broke his fantasy by grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the truck.  
“C’mon Eddie! Believe me it takes your mom a while to get started but once she gets going she is _agile!_”  
Eddie’s response got lost somewhere between a gag and a laugh as he jumped through the driver’s side door into the passenger seat. Apparently not moving fast enough, Richie jumped in nearly on top of him and pushed him over the rest of the way.  
“Andale Eduardo!” Richie started the truck and pulled out before either of them were buckled in. Eddie was about to yell at him for this when he realized his mother had actually been very close to the truck.  
“Wow, sorry, I didn’t realize she could go that fast,” Eddie laughed. He watched as his mother started to sob in the parking lot and the laugh died in his chest.  
“What the hell happened?”  
“I’ll tell you later, okay? I just don’t want to think about it right now.”  
Richie was quiet for a minute, glancing at Eddie quickly. Rarely did Eddie ever not tell Richie something immediately.  
“Sure Eds, whatever you say.” Richie smiled, and turned the radio on. _Love Song_ by The Cure was playing. Eddie opened his window and breathed in the brisk April air. 

Richie ended up driving them towards Big Bill’s house. It was late Friday afternoon, and it was more than likely that’s where they could find the other Losers. They saw Mike’s truck parked on the street, and Richie parked behind it.  
“You sure you’re okay?” He asked, eyes trained directly on Eddie. Eddie couldn’t help but to smile a little at the concern he saw there. 

Eddie struggled to remember a time when he hadn’t been in love with Richie. He remembered being nine years old and thinking Richie was the best person in the whole world. He remembered being eleven and thinking that they would be best friends who lived together someday. He remembered being thirteen and almost getting killed by Bob Gray in the house on Neibolt. Richie had held his face in his hands to try and keep him calm while Beverly beat Bob Gray over the head with a fire poker.  
Somewhere in that time it had changed, deepened. He remembered being fourteen and listening to Richie recount the details of his first kiss. He remembered thinking bitterly that Kim Farkin wasn’t even _funny_. She didn’t make Richie laugh. Why was he kissing her? He didn’t understand why it made him so angry until he saw Richie kiss her in the hallway at school the next day. It startled him when he realized he wanted to be the one kissing Richie.  
_Oh, fuck,_ he had remembered thinking. _Henry was right. I’m a faggot._ The realization terrified him and Eddie wouldn’t speak to Richie, or any of the Losers, for days afterward. He watched as Richie got more and more upset as time went on, but he knew he couldn’t face him now. Richie was so smart and so intuitive. If he didn’t already know, he would surely realize soon, and Eddie would lose all his friends. He didn’t think his friends were homophobic exactly. But if Richie found out how Eddie felt, he would be disgusted. Not because Eddie was gay, but because of how he felt about him. Because of all the sleepovers and skinny dips. All the friendly touches and goodbye hugs. It was unforgivable, and he knew that.  
It wasn’t until Richie had slid up to his locker after school a week later that they finally reconciled.  
“I broke up with Kim,” he said simply, looking at his feet.  
“What? Why?”  
“What do you mean why? You’re talking to me again, aren’t you?”  
Eddie fell back into the Losers again after this. He didn’t want Richie to find out, but he even more desperately didn’t want to hurt him.  
“Yeah, I’m okay Rich. We can talk about it later.”  
Richie smiled and they went inside.

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve been wanting to execute some Eddie headcanons I have so here that is!  
Hopeful to have this span multiple chapters.  
This is going off the the Muschietti timeline!


End file.
